Review: The Lady of the Rivers

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this and was tragically disappointed.

This was my first Philippa Gregory novel. She's written so many that I'm keen to read, as I'm fascinated by this era of history, and this was recommended as the best one to start with, so that I can read the series' chronologically. I think maybe that was a mistake.

I feel like this is more of a supplementary novel, more entertaining for those who know what comes later. This story dragged so much for me, and I just wasn't invested. Firstly, it took over 100 pages just to get to the plot described in the blurb. Then it was a tedious cycle: Baby - war - baby - war ... this woman was popping out so many kids and none of them are given the time of day so why would I care? And then the wars are so repetitive, and back and forth, and the way that it's all told just makes it so bland.

Margaret is a horrible person, and I mostly despised her. I really felt like Jacquetta and Richard were on the wrong side the entire time. They're fighting for terrible people, and I get that, but it's such a stated fact, there's no emotional investment so you kinda just question why?

I think the way the story is written in first person, present tense, made it completely emotionless. I felt nothing throughout this entire novel. I didn't really care who lived or died, what cities were lost or won ... zero emotional attachment from me. I wanted characters that I could really root for and admire and there were none to be found.

Overall, I'm glad to be done with this because it was just a massive disappointment. I'll continue reading the series, but I'm really hoping it improves.

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